Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-06-30


steel msnuiaclor;es DO not furnish the slas
Inferred to. but only tle steetworks, OF
which latter there u rot one In Virginia.
The following letter on this point Is pub
lishtd:
STANTON, VA, May ", 1887.
Colonel ". Q. Kai9hi, Richmond, Vc.'
MY Dear sir,--Yours of 10th, asking
about "haslc slag.r TO be utilized As fer
tilizer, from The blast furnaces OF Virginia,
fs al hand.
Basic STAG Is the product Of an establish.
ment or works making steel by what Is
known rs the " basic process A pig iron
high in phosphorus is melted In con.
ycrier lined with dolomitic Limestone 4.
c., magnetism limessone), which. 30 TO
speak, absorbs the phosphorus from the
non and so leaves lt in condition for con-
version into steel.
We have an abundance OF phosphoretic
iron.oros in Virginia, hut We have no steel
works using the "ba,ic process" conse-
qucBtiy we have no "basic Stag" such as
they have in Germany, where basic steel IS
made on large scale, and the Stag used
for conversion into pbospnoric iertil'zer.
Several attempts have been made 10 Sc
cure the construction Of basic steel plants
In Virginia. but all have failed. Tue Bes'
semer Works own the patents and seem
unwilling 10 have them u.ed.
Yours very truly, JED. H0rcHKIss.
As the Dispatch was the first paper In
Virginia to call attention to this interesting
subject, and as the editor Of the Planter
has cour,eously referred to that fact, we
deem Il but proper that we should state
the conclusions to which he has come. He
says:
ave are strongly OF opinion that too
little Importance Is attached 10 the presence
OF iron in some shape In fertilzlng mate
rails. A homely example may be men,
tened which many farmers will recognize.
In many portions Of middle Virginia, and
we presume in other States, there are lodges
Of rock, usually termed iron rock, running
eeuegally from southwest TO northeast.
cropping out and disappearing at intervals
along a very extended line OF country.
The size of The stones varies from that OF
walnut to large boulders. are often so nu-
uerOus as 20 obstruct cultivation, aud the
vein, or ledge, Is rarely more than two hun
dred yards In width. The admitted fact Is
that crops Of all kinds are better among
these stones than on contiguous land where
they are not. This must be owing to a silt
Of iron which Is fed TO the soil In small
quantity by the process OF oxidation, aud
the soil is always Of dark-brown COLOR"
1--WE make The following suggestions:
l. That the manufacturers OF commercial
fertilizers will introduce into their com
pounds due proper ton OF sulphate OF
iron, which certainly can do no harm, and
may prove very beneficial. 2. That farmers
will experiment in small way with cop
reras reduced to fine po,cder, combined
with phosphate Of lime from bone.dust, or
Charleston floats, and potash to be sup.
piled by kainit or hardwood ashes; and
guided by the experiments before detailed,
the proportion OF copperas should not be
more than sufficient TO give fifty or sixty
pounds TO The acre. Copperas is, with the
exception Of sulphur. the cheapest mineral |
compound in existence, and yet 1t nav |
work out for the farmer grand results II |
the experiments reported through the |
Chemical Society shall prove worthy OF |
credit"
This is practical. Colonel Knight is eyi.
IDENTIFY the right man in the right place.